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Tests Pinpoint Asthma Drugs' Limitations

July 16, 1998|By From Tribune News Services.

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS — Two new drugs can help prevent asthma attacks after exercising, but one loses its effectiveness over time and the other fails to work for one in four sufferers, according to two studies and an editorial in the New England Journal of Medicine.

The studies, published Thursday, said the drugs, approved this year and sold as Singulair and Serevent, help many asthmatics breathe after workouts.

One study--a monthlong test of 20 volunteers--found that Serevent worked but that the day-to-day duration of its effectiveness waned over time.

In the second study, 110 patients received either a placebo or Singulair over 12 weeks. The drug's effectiveness did not seem to weaken over time and patients suffered no ill effects when they discontinued it. But in an editorial, Drs. John Hansen-Flaschen and Helena Schotland said Singulair, known generically as montelukast, unfortunately fails to work in one out of four people.